Naleighna Kai's Literary Cafe Magazine NK Literary Cafe 2018 Mother's Day Issue | Page 64

Janice Pernell
excerpt from No Right Way to do a Wrong Thing
“Let me get this straight,” Val snapped at her
husband. “You want me to abort my baby, but some
other woman you swear up and down you don’t
love can walk around eight months pregnant with
your child?”
“You’re not having that baby!” Kurt growled,
his bronze skin ablaze with anger.
He took two steps forward. Val instinctively
backed away, her heart performing an erratic drum
solo. Two years of marriage and she’d never seen
this side of him.
Banging against the door made both of them
snap their heads toward the front entrance.
“Police! Open up!”
₪ ₪ ₪
“Call Dwayne,” Val commanded into her iPhone as she rubbed the taut
muscles along the back of her neck.
Her brother answered. She switched to speaker mode and placed the
phone on the island in her kitchen. “I really need to talk.” She propped
herself against the refrigerator. “How soon can you get here?”
“As soon as I pick up Uncle Bubba.”
₪ ₪ ₪
Uncle Bubba got out of Dwayne’s Dodge Charger and walked up Val’s
driveway. The front door opened before he rang the bell. Val stepped out
and spread her arms for a hug. He pulled her to him, then took a step back
to examine her red, puffy eyes. “I’m glad to see you, girl. But you look
awfully sad.”
When he moved away, Dwayne stepped up and held his sister an extra-
long time.
Once inside, Uncle Bubba made himself comfortable on a stool at the
island in the kitchen. Val climbed on a stool across from him. Dwayne
helped himself to a Coke from the fridge and sat down next to Val.